Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit: Harnessing the real value of IoT

Realising the true business benefit of the Internet of Things is complex and challenging, so what have we learned so far and how can that help drive better outcomes? DXC Technology’s Claire Walker took to the mainstage to shed some light on the matter.

Though Walker’s presentation focused on the Internet of Things (IoT), many of her comments had clear parallels with any digital transformation project – no matter how big or the underlying technology/ies involved.

That was made evidently clear in one of her opening slides which I’m sure resonated with every one of the industrial directors and executives sat in the audience:

“How many of us have asked or heard someone say one of these statements? The importance of identifying the real value cannot be overstressed; business drivers should be the primary drivers… not technology,” Walker commented.

Yet, identifying the business value isn’t enough, she continued, you also need to determine how to enable, sustain and enhance it over the long-term.

According to Walker, enabling valuerelies on aligning any project with the business needs – something which should provide a sound foundation to drive momentum both short and long-term; though she warned businesses that there were “no one-size-fits-all solutions”.

Enhancing valuemeans thinking beyond IoT data and considering new business processes or complimentary technologies as your capability increases such as artificial intelligence, augmented or virtual reality, analytics and workplace mobility.

Sustaining value into the future can’t happen without strong leadership and governance, Walker concluded. Alongside scalability and interoperability, business leaders also need to plan for technological change, obsolescence and new delivery models (such as as-a-service) in advance of it impacting their operation.

Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit has been bringing together senior industry executives for more than a decade, and is the biggest manufacturer-to-manufacturer conference in the country.

It is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Digital Manufacturing Week, an annual celebration of UK manufacturing excellence that takes place every November in Liverpool. This year saw 887 delegates attend Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit (up 45% on 2017) and 5,322 visitors to Digital Manufacturing Week (up 36% on 2017).